Car-door fastener



(No Model.)

H. E. HOKE.

GAR DOOR FASTENER.

No. 427,419. Patented May 6, 1890".

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

HENRY ELIAS HOKE, OF CIIAMBERSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

CAR-* DQOR FASTENER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 427,419, dated May 6,1890.

Application filed January 21, 1890. Serial No. $37,614:. (N0 model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY ELIAS IlOKE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Ohambersburg, in the county of Franklin and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inFastening Devices for the Doors of Freight-Cars; and I do hereby declarethe following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, referen ce being had to the accompanying drawings, which formpart of this specification.

My invention has relation to fastening devices for the doors offreight-cars, and has for its object the provision of a novel andetfectual fastening device which will operate to press the door firmlyagainst the jamb and at the same time against the side of the ear, andhold it securely in such position.

My present invention is an improvement upon the invention described andshown in Letters Patent of the United States No. 311,761, granted to meFebruary 3, 1885. In the said Letters Patent I have shown and describeda fastening device for car-doors comprising a lever pivoted to theear-door by means of a curved pintle or hinge-link passing through alugon the end of the lever and the latter being formed with a beveled lugand a curved toe on its under side that en gaged with a suitable socketset inthe side of the car when the door was closed and served to forcethe door against its jainb and against the side of the car.

In carrying my present invention into effeet I employ a pivoted leverhaving upon its end about toe beveled on the sides that takes into asocket set in the side of the car. This lever I secure to the car-doorby means of a link earryinga pintle on one end that passes through a lugon the end of the lever and a curved pintle that projects from a platesecured at the edge of the ear-door and passes through a hole in thelink.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation ofa portion of a car and car-door having 'my improved fastening device inposition thereon. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the same, thefastening device being in its closed position; Fig. 3, a similar view toFig. 2, showing the fastening device about to be closed; and Fig. 1, asimilar view to Fig. 3, but with the fasteninglever thrown out ofengagement with its socket and down out of the way.

In the said drawings similar letters of reference indicate like parts.

A designates the body of the car, and B the sliding door of the same. Tothe door, just at the back edge of the same, is secured a plate 0 bybolts 0 c c, and projecting from said plate is a curved pint-1e O, thatbends up and around until its upper end reaches the edge of the door.

D designates a link, which is swung upon the pintle O and has alaterally-projecting pin 1, that passes through a lug e 011 a lever Eand is held in position by a pin 61', passing through the pin d on-theoutside of the lug.

The lever E is formed with a toe F, that is beveled off on each side andtakes into a socket G, set into the side of the car. The socket G isbeveled interiorly on each. side,

F engages with is rounded underneath, so that as the lever E is broughtdown to its fullyelosed position the toe, acting on the rounded portionof the edge G, will gradually bring the door up tight against the sideof the car.

The lever E, it will be observed, when in its closed position, liesalongside and parallel with the back edge of the door, and is held inthis position by means of a T-shaped latch piece or plate II, which isformed with holes h 7th at the extremities of its arms, and is pivotedat t to a plate I, which is bolted to the car-door near the edge of thesame.

In one position of the latch piece or plate II the lever E may be freelylowered or raised; but when it is desired to lock the lever thelatch-piece is swung around into the position shown in Fig. 1, so thatthe arm which has the hole It will project over the end of the lever,and the hasp of a padlock K is passed through the hole h, and thepadlock being locked the lever will be kept closed. The object of theholes h 71 in the other ends of the latch piece or plate H is to providemeans for the attachment of aseal, the wire to which the seal isattached being passed through one of the holes h h and through a hole 6'in the end of the lever E.

The parts being constructed and arranged as above described, areoperated in the following manner: The door being closed and and the edgeG of said socket that the we fastened, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, toopen the same the padlock is first removed from the latcltpiece H andthe latter is swung around out of the way. The lower end of the lever Eis then drawn out from the edge of the door a few inches, its weightcausing it to drop down, so that the toe F will come out of the socketG. The lever is then allowed to drop, when it will assume the positionshown in Fig. 4-that is, it will hang alongside of the edge of the doorwith the toe F out of engagement with the socket Gand in this positionthe lever E will remain while the door is being opened and closedwithout danger of contacting with the side of the car or with anyextraneous object. To close the door, the lower end of the lever E isdrawn out a very short distance from the edge of the door, justsufficient to allow the toe F to be pushed up into the socket G, as isshown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. The lower end of the lever is nowpressed in until it is flush with the surface of the door, and thelatch-piece H is then turned around until one of its arms is over theend of the lever, which is thereby held in its closed position. Apadlock may now be attached to the latch, its hasp being passed throughthe hole h, as before described, or if it'is desired to seal thefastener the wire to which the seal is secured is passed through one ofthe holes 71. and through the hole in the end of the lever E, and theseal attached to the ends of the wire.

The peculiar construction and arrangement of the several parts are suchthat it requires but a very small amount of motion of the lever E ineither fastening or unfastening and permits of the door being easily andreadily secured when it has warped or sprung a very considerabledistance, as it may do. The lever being suspended from the hook byaloose ring or link, it will adjust itself to the angle of the socket G,no matter how much the socket may be thrown out of its normal positionby the sinking or warping of the car.

The whole device is reasonably cheap and simple in construction andforms a most efficient fastening for car or other sliding doors. Havingdescribed my invention, I claim 1. In a car-door fastening device, thecombination, with a lever E, having the toe F and the socket G, withwhich said toe engages, of the plate 0, secured to the door, the curvedpintle O, projecting from said plate, and the link D, swung upon saidpintle and pivoted to the said lever, substantially as described.

2. In a fastening device for ear-doors, the combination, with plate 0,secured to the door, and curved pintle O, projecting from said plate, oflink D, hung upon said pintle and having a laterally-projecting pin (Z,the lever E, having a lug 6, through which said-pin passes, and a toe F,adapted to engage with a socket G, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this16th day of January, 1890.

HENRY ELIAS HOKE.

WVitnesses:

IV. S. HOERNER, D. K. WUNDERLIOH.

